More hours, more programs

Beginning this month, the senior center is now open from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the second and fourth Fridays of the month.

Previously, the center was closed on Friday.

Friday, March 8, is the first Friday the center is open.

“The seniors were asking for more programming and more hours,” said Teri Moe, the city’s senior citizen coordinator.

The center’s 2013 budget includes an additional $10,000 in funding to cover more hours and additional programs.

Moe decided to add the hours and programs this month, when snow birds are returning to the area after spending the past few months in warmer climates.

The other hours at the Waupaca Senior Center are 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

“We will offer Wii bowling, photography classes, card making classes and Qi Gong, a form of Tai Chi with a compilation of movements especially for seniors,” she said. “We are also adding 4 p.m., 50-plus Zumba every Tuesday and Thursday, beginning March 12.”

Thae Zumba class is also part of the center’s additional hours.

Other new classes planned at the senior center include jewelry making, candy making and quilting.

“We decide on what to offer based on trends and requests from seniors,” Moe said. “Baby Boomers are coming, so that does play into what people are looking for.”

She said the center’s staff has received many compliments about the programs it offers.